At Christmas, Parking Lots Are Popular With Thieves, Too

Peter Bevelock pulled a blanket over the pile of Christmas gifts he and his wife had just purchased, hoping to camouflage the items from any would-be thieves.

The strategy didn't work.

In the two hours Bevelock and his wife, Donna, were at a movie theater at Whitehall Mall, someone broke into their station wagon and took the sweaters, boots, radio, sneakers and slacks intended as holiday cheer.

"It kind of puts a little damper on your Christmas spirit," said Bevelock, who figures the culprit made off with about $600 worth of gifts last Sunday. "My wife thought she had her Christmas shopping done."

The Bevelocks are among a number of holiday shoppers victimized by thieves working mall parking lots. There, predictably, thousands of people converge with their cars at Christmastime and, sometimes, stash away treasures while they continue shopping.

"You're looking at a time supposedly festive," said Whitehall Township Detective Gerry Procanyn. "But you're always going to have someone take advantage of a situation, whether it's festive or not."

Procanyn could not immediately determine the number of car thefts at malls in Whitehall Township during this holiday season. But, he said, there probably have been more than 10 since Black Friday, the kickoff of the Christmas shopping season on the day after Thanksgiving.

While the thefts from cars may slightly intensify during the holidays, he said, the numbers are usually consistent year to year.

"We are not an island with this problem," said Procanyn, pointing out that officials in other shopping areas throughout the Lehigh Valley and elsewhere have to cope with the situation.

"You're dealing right now with the holiday season," he said. "Are there people who are going to take advantage of hurried shoppers who leave their packages in plain view in their motor vehicles? There certainly are."

At the Plymouth Meeting Mall in Plymouth Township, there have been 22 thefts from cars this holiday season, said township police Lt. Carmen Pettine. It's a recurring problem, he said, although it doesn't seem so bad this year as in years past.

If thieves are watching shoppers, he said, they generally can tell what items shoppers have left in their cars by reading the store names on the bags. And if the items are what the thieves are looking for, he said, they'll make their haul.

Aside from thefts from cars, Pettine said, Plymouth Township police have had to contend this season with strong-arm robberies, in which thieves steal purses from shoppers leaving malls, or hold up people making bank deposits or withdrawing money from automatic tellers.

At King of Prussia Mall lot in Upper Merion Township, there has been an average of seven thefts a week from cars during this holiday season, Lt. Ron Fonock said. He said the thefts could go as high as 20 in a week.

For one, he said, there's a higher concentration of potential victims at malls. And while people may notice strangers who venture into their neighborhood, he said, the mall traffic is transient and no one knows which cars belong to whom.

"It only takes a second to break a window, grab the booty and run," said Fonock, adding that the noise of the traffic could drown out the sound of smashing glass.

Still, Bevelock, of Lehighton, is amazed that the thief or thieves who walked away with his Christmas gifts last Sunday were able to pull off the heist unnoticed. He said his car was parked about 20 steps away from an entrance to Whitehall Mall, and was under a light.

And with the blanket as cover, he said, the packages weren't visible, either.

Bevelock had learned to be careful, because two months earlier, someone had broken into his car at Lehigh Valley Mall and stolen his wallet from the glove compartment. The wallet contained his driver's license, credit cards and $40, and Bevelock remembered the hassle of replacing the items.

Now, he said, he is more frustrated because his insurance companies won't be reimbursing him for the gifts and for the damage to his car until after the holidays. And, he said, he'll be out at least $300, because he unknowingly had that deductible on his insurance policies.

Bevelock said he thought about leaving his dog in his car to keep watch in the future, should he have to return to the malls. But, he said, he changed his mind for fear the thieves would harm his pet.

But on any return trips, he said, he'll likely drive his other car, which has a trunk and which would allow him to stash any purchases out of view.

Police officials and mall operators consistently advise shoppers to put their purchases into the trunks of their cars, to better protect their belongings.

And, if returning to the mall after dropping off packages, shoppers would be wise to get into their cars and drive to another section of the lot, said Fonock, of the Plymouth Township police.